Our director has sent round an email telling us to wear jumpers. Wibu to ask him to turn the heating up instead?

[DeepDeepThought]

Our departmental director came into the office for the first time in around half a year recently. He noticed that we don't always have all the windows wide open all the time (as per Covid guidance) and sent round an email about it. He says he understands that we might be cold (we are!) but we should all just expect the office to be colder now and bring in jumpers and open all the windows. AIBU to think that wearing a jumper is not the same as being in a warm room and that if he wants us to all sit in a place with wide open windows for eight hours a day throughout winter then he needs to be turning the heating up?

It may also be their utility contract has ended and their costs have gone up over 50%

@DrHildegardeLanstrom

Please don't use patio heaters inside! So dangerous. Also, guidance is windows open slightly for the background, then purge ventilation (wide open) when possible for example at lunch

Obviously not outdoor gas power ones. You can though get (lower powered..) electric ones for use both indoor as well as outdoors.

In my secondary school we have the windows slightly ajar all the time, but wide open all lunch and break and for 10 minutes at lesson change over to circulate the air. The pupils can wear outdoor coats over their uniform and the teachers dress appropriately for the temperature, layers and coats etc.

I am a music teacher, and my windows are always open. The heater in my room doesn't work, and despite jumpers/several layers my hands are cold, and it makes playing the piano very difficult. The students are allowed to keep their coats on. It's been pretty unpleasant for about 2 months. My room faces N, so I don't get any direct sun either.

I sit next to the window that has to be open for ventilation- it’s fucking freezing some days. No amount of jumpers prevent this.

If you’re on the opposite side of the office it’s toasty and of course they’d appreciate a breeze for Covid ‘safe’ purposes.

But it’s shit being close to the open window.

He is wrong and should read the latest guidance from HSE which is to open the windows for 10 minutes every hour.

So just use a normal indoor electric heater then?

Is there a reason you can't all work from home, OP?

Yes, I wear a coat at work and a big scarf. Last winter I wore wrist warmers and thermal leggings under trousers.

So do my class.

If you’ve got all the windows open then there’s probably no point in turning the heating up.

If it’s that cold and unworkable surely (if possible) it would be more appropriate to ask you all to work from home?

Sorry, but turning the heating up and melting the planet in the process is not going to help the temp all that much on very cold and/or windy days. I think that a jumper is sensible. If it makes you feel any better, you're definitely not alone in having to do that...we've been advised to do exactly the same as have many, many of my friends.

Teacher - yes, thermal base layers, double tights or socks, multiple outer layers plus blazer, then coat required most of the day.

Open windows are the only hope of not catching Covid for most of us, I'm afraid.

Insist on some oil filled heaters, they give off a lot of heat

Is that what you all do then? Wear coats at work?
No we tend to wear layers.
Layers are much warmer than one thick jumper and easier to maintain a comfortable temperature.

I'm wondering if other colleagues have quietly complained to him if windows aren't being opened?

Our director has sent round an email telling us to wear jumpers. Wibu to ask him to turn the heating up instead?

Your thread title suggests you're NOT already wearing jumpers. And indeed, if your director has been in for a visit and observed you all wearing jumpers, coats and scarves, it doesn't really makes sense for him to be sending an email vetoing the suggestion of turning the heating up, and telling you to wear jumpers "instead" as an alternative suggestion? Surely he knows from seeing you that you're already doing this?

I don't see how turning up the heating would help in a situation where the windows are open. If the office is really as cold as all that, you should be WFH.

School children have to wrap up and get on with it. They relaxed the uniform requirements at DD's school because of the open window rule.

@DeepDeepThought

Oh he WFHs alright.

We do wear jumpers anyway. And scarfs. Some of us wear coats. It's still cold.

Why can't you?

I'd be asking why office work cannot be done from home? Are you interacting face to face with the public? Dealing with physical goods directly?

It fucks me right off when senior management wfh and expect others to come in and put themselves at greater risk.

I used to work in a on office with single glazing and two storage heaters, ice on the inside of the windows type of thing…

I used to wear thermals under my clothes and a coat in the office. It was a listed office in a rural location and had people in and out all day, nothing else we could do really!

@ginslinger

I'd wear the jumper as well - they can turn the heating up but a jumper is going to help.

It really isn't. A jumper won't do anything for your nose, face or hands and most people already wear jumpers in winter.

"It fucks me right off when senior management wfh and expect others to come in and put themselves at greater risk."

The opposite is what gets me. Our management have deemed themselves essential so they can come in while the rest of us can't. I'm not the only one who can't cope with constant wfh.

I work in a wind tunnel —Covid vaccine centre— tights & socks under trousers helps. The real game changer though is a heated gilet.

If you're already wearing jumpers and are still cold then yes heating on but it will just go out the windows anyway. It's better that than getting covid though

I go to sleep if I'm too cold! When I used to work in the office, the heating was cranked up. It's incredibly frustrating to be told to wear a jumper, more layers, etc.. it gets into your bones and you just can't get warm.

I do miss the days of being sent home because it was cold though half the time that was because of the air con in the summer....

You don’t need the windows wide open just a fraction. Is he trying to save on heating bills? Yes you should wear warmer clothes but the heating should be a reasonable heat too. An old boss of mine ours told us to put on extra jumpers as that’s what he did at home but we worked in a converted warehouse and said we weren’t at home… so heating was on and turned up.